The secrets of Grand Central Terminal

Grand Central Terminal is usually high on peoples New York bucket list yet what if I was to tell you that this famous landmark has secrets that you don’t know waiting to be discovered?

Located on the Grand Central Terminal dining concourse outside the famous Oyster Bar, the Whispering Gallery is an acoustic and architectural oddity that has to be played with.

The low ceramic arches are built in such a perfect way that if you two people stand at diagonal corners of the arches and whisper softly, they’ll be able to hear each other as clearly as if they were whispering directly into each other’s ears! (Imagine I’m whispering at the man pictured below)

Your voice follows the curvature of the ceiling creating an effect called telegraphing. You’ll know you’re in the right spot when you see four low arches, designed by a father and son team, Rafael Guastavino and Rafael Guastavino Jr, back in 1913.

The acoustics of the arches in the concourse are not the only surprise – especially for diners at the Oyster Bar. The bar also has Guastavino ceilings meaning that voices are thrown all around making it not the place to dine if espionage is high on your list of topics to discuss.

Unsurprisingly the Whispering Gallery is a very popular spot for marriage proposals. Yet if you have anything juicy to confess you might want to wait until the concourse is a little quieter – unless you’re aiming to make passers by blush!